New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-23

| inc Mmte star pier Tho purser afterward remarked
at this gentleman had made himself extremely useful
| during the accident This is the doctors story:
BaDpc O'Clock on THURSDAY afternoon f the celtic ana
other and steamng in such directions and at such speed
both sounding and we heard the Ceitcs before
saw her. but could not tell exactly where she was The
Goulslon was more OF brush than punch That's now
! can best describe It, The shock not enough to
knock man of his feet When the passengers felt the
There cries the Storage passengers who got
nch ne worst Of it, and among whom there was some
The captain and all the officers were extremely cool
s1 calm The boats were lowered and some OF tne pas
pcances, the Britannia going down AS soon as 10
was found out that she would not sink the captain
stopped sending people and in cases where families
hd oeen diyded those who had gone to the Celtic were
The Britannia turned her head westward again. Sig
MAJ guns we're fired and distress signals kept flying The
two vessels steamed slowly homeward in company, fall
ing in the way with freight boat and the British
Queen which joined them TheI captain did al ne could
to sarboard sail was set that lifted little
and relieved the leaking side and the coal bunkers on
nat side were empted and the water taken out OF the
boilers Then patch was put on and we managed
nicely 1t would be difficult to tell where the fault lay
Martin Allen, OF Chicago, storage passenger on
the britannia and lost two fingers through the collision
leaning over the rail and trying to discern through the
dense fog the steamship whose whistle could distinctly
ear ana which knew must be pretty close TO US SUD
stood saw ut that 1t would strike us and started
dozen steps when there was sudden crash, and 10
seemed as If the planks uon which stood were going to
tense pain in my left hand, nd drawing 1t found
that the second finger had been cut completely of and
mat the third was merely hanging by shred OF fesh
How this happened am wholly unable TO state, as in the
excitement my first thOughwas for my life suppose,
which was cigng was shyered by the shock and that
my fingers got caught between two sharp edges OF the
last ooat that syent to the Celtic and sthere had my
Mr.. Aliens hand was in a sling when he mp on
me William Fletcher, and he seemed to be suderng con
J. G. Williams, OF wilkesbarre Penn was another OF
the Brtannics seernge passengers, ana although he
broken timbers and pieces OF flying Iiron fell on all sides
Of him. escaped without injury This is the fifth time
That he has started for his former home In wales ana as
each time he has prevented from going by acct
dent, he says that he will not start again. ~
was so completely unneryed by the accident me
pencd thought that he vessel would sink at once and
on The principle that every ono should take care OF him
se began to look around Tor the best means OF EetnS
To safe place boat go over the side and jumped
for It, Several renen and Others steerage passengers
were already In H. and without waiting for any OF the
women we were pulled over TO the Celtic There we
Were treated with great deal OF CONSIDERATION at s
button Friday saturday and Sunday The sstcwars acied
toward Ms rs though we were dogs We we're provided
with places sleep and had to lie around the decks
ana on tables Had 1t not been Tor me CeItlcs sferise
passengers, who generously shared their meals with us
we would not have had anything to cat and what end
We had 10 eat with fingers, as no knives, forks
spoons cups provided. They seemed to think
that were ntruders and went out or their way To
make us uncomfortable"
Edward Downing, OF California, and Victor WeiburC,
fellow passengers. who stood near when Mr. Williams
was talking, confirmed what he said OF tho treatment %
the Britannics Storage people on the Celtlc ,o,,.
Hundreds OF Xious nquTers pulled tho door KNOBS
OF the big double doors leading 10 ne handsos new
Offices 81 the white star C3many al 80 ~ b NY
steamers but no one save the antor % the building was
hand to their minds and send them away. From
the company offices the inQuirers drifted down to the
ship News Oice and learning nothing there they wan
dcred To the pier West Tenth At Those Storage
passengers who had escaped lost no time In letting their
friends know Of their safety, ana Proprietor llnllton,
Of the Miners Arms kept busy sending kilograms
TO all quarters OF the country There was scarcely room
TO turn around I'm the little hostery which was fled
with returned immigrants They talked freely OIL ther
experiences.
piece. the hands OF which marked $50 shall never
start her again. said he mat was Just about INC ule
that was hauled out OF the water was trylnE TO get
into one OF the eboats and had gotmy 1901 on me
gunVae when sailor cut the rope anu rel mo inc
water. 10 fifteen minutes before Richard l,ttler9
steward the Britannia. threw me lifeline ana pulled
hoarl Il was pretty well chilled by mat time
j. W. Reilly man OF about sixty with long gray
beard gave about the cearest account OF the cosio
Said he: ,...,, In.
nbaft the mzzcnmast talking and looking font into the
fog when went up on deck Just after supper. They
said ship out there looked and saw nothing
Thon climbed up in the rigging and ooaed and there
In the fog big steamer Others saw her aso ana
a crowd hocked over on the port side Some called their
friends over crying: Come here aud you can see
her pass They waved their hats and handkerchets to
all once. before could speak, the DOW OF the Dig
steamer appeared bearing down Everybody ran,
S@ the aS crowd The S Sif @ o. celtic
tore along the side OF ship. bursting OF the plates
and causing shower OF iron bolts 10 fall on the decks
The rigging Zen and pieces Of timber ana nr1Sin us19 9
yelling OF the women and men ,,,,- ,
The boats were lowered ana men rushed IKE coWars
TO got into them; but the officers L'pt some back.
Others got into the boats The captain = he saw them
men had ore boat There were life preservcrs aplenty
for the cabin passengers but not for the steerage Well
one woman was 81 tangled under the iron plates that IL
took eight men, myself one OF th,n nearly an
hour cxricate her. She was badly hur'. Her name
was Mary shadwell, believe"
Mrs Vaughn. stout Englishwoman. vita an almost
unntelldble pronunciation, told about litte ni age
thirteen, named Robinson who was almost Oenendea ID
was sitting on the deck writing story OF the voyage her
brother was sitting next her Smelling peas, while her
mother was only a few feet peeng potatoes Inc
came hugo plate that mangled the little girl lmcnbered
n man The names OF the dead were not known 70 their
storage associates Mrs Vaughn said that she hal not
seen the disaster an old man, apr arenty "esn
man who had travelled with her from Norfolk Va The |
Old man told her that he had vtitcd virginia 10 buy
farm for his She knew that he was among the aea
All the steerage passengers believe That the loss OF Ie
Is greater than four persons. $500 -,
Mr Musgrave the BriianniIs purscr, came ashore
with tho William Fletcher. aud went to his home IN
10 the Associated Press at the Ship News Office. 49,,
strict sH '''' orders from the captain not to
T fnHS Gct from this account through the
Press This report Is one that was drawn up ana up
proved By the captain and officers ,,,.
In accordance with his Instructions the Information
he volunteered was that tho at the time OF the acc
don't was calm rs It's out In the Bay there .,to
The Britannlc IA the White Stars commodore snip
he added She Is good deal bigger than the Celnc,
but the Celtic ranks fourth mn in tho service
hs Io "'' The vessels win of course be repaired
Immediately. IeXpect that tho Britannia VIII Do LeahS
for sailing in about days good many or the
passengers say that they'll wait FOR her, they
have so much confidence in her and Indeed was
us telling some Of those who may want To go sooner
that 10 will hard matter 10 get then Delhs "s AZ VI
our ships are busy Ths The only accident OIL any
account that have had since to Baitc WONT oh 'uo
rocks at Ilolyhead five or six years ago.
WHAT THE CELTlC's CAPTAIN SAYS.
TALKS WITH PASSENGERS on THE vEssEL-REso-